Problematic
by ermahgerdwhatever
Summary: It was those damned noisy hospital doors' fault. To be fair, they should've checked every bed before they talked about their late night activities. Now, she has to deal with the consequences of knowing the Marauders' deepest, darkest secret.
1. One

AN: Heyyyyy. I don't know where I'm going with this. Hope you enjoy!

 **EDIT: I tweaked a few things. Nothing big.**

Disclaimer: Nope. Not J.K. Rowling.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERING REMUS LUPIN'S SECRET**

Charlie Hart prided herself in maintaining a remarkably unmemorable presence for the five years she has stayed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She never bothered herself with joining clubs, voluntarily reciting in class, or even doing exceptionally well in her subjects. Her grades weren't bad, but they weren't straight O's either. She only had two friends she'd consider really close to, albeit they weren't as low-key in the social ladder as she was comfortable with, they were still her best friends. The student population may be mostly unbothered by her presence, but the faculty were not, and it's not for academic excellence either. At her last tally, she has acquired thirteen detentions in her five-year stay in Hogwarts, which will most likely increase as she enters sixth year. The detentions were mostly for being caught outside dorms after-hours, but four or five had something to do with cursing other students.

She had a normal, mostly unexciting school life. She steered away from problematic people. Problematic people were what she called the ones who were constantly in the radar of the whole school population, hence having everything they do scrutinised and gossiped about. She kept her interactions with the other half of her roommates to a minimum. Lily Evans, Marlene Mckinnon, and Mary Mcdonald were the school's sweethearts, and if that wasn't problematic enough, they also attracted the attention of one of the most problematic lot to ever set foot in Hogwarts: the Marauders. She was very happy to not be involved in any of the aforementioned people's business. Until one day, she found herself at the wrong place, at a very, very wrong time.

* * *

"I actually know how to pop a shoulder back in its socket." Charlie said as-a-matter-of-factly as Madame Pomfrey fussed about her. Charlie was playing a friendly quidditch game with her friends, and just as she was about to catch the snitch, a bludger rammed right into her left upper arm, smashing her upper arm and dislocating her shoulder in the process. She still caught the snitch, switching to her less dominant arm and lunging for it at the last second. "I watched Cal practice with Puddlemere and there were more than a few injuries. I helped the medi-witch with some."

"Do you also know how to fix a broken bone?" Madame Pomfrey asked, gently prodding the said broken limb.

Charlie took a sharp intake of breath when the healer lifted her injured arm a little. "Does reparo work?"

"Miss Hart!" Madame Pomfrey cried indignantly, shooting her an affronted glare. "You should never attempt to fix an injury yourself! No less use reparo!"

"Joking! I was joking, Madame P. No, I don't know how to fix a broken bone. The magic is too complicated for a lowly witch like me. Unlike you, who's the master in all medical spells." Charlie's friends, Madge and Kristen, sniggered at the obvious attempt to suck up to the healer.

Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes and shook her head at her patient. "Buttering me up won't make your treatment hurt any less, Miss Hart. I'm afraid there is no non-painful way to set your shoulder back." She readied the necessary potions on the bedside table within her reach. Charlie eyed them warily, scrunching her nose up at the suspicious colour of the potions, particularly the disgusting yellow one.

"Can't you just leave it be? I can live with a wonky shoulder, I swear," she told the medi-witch. Madame Pomfrey wrapped the broken arm up in a splint so she can set the shoulder back without exacerbating the other injury. Charlie bit back a cry of pain and continued her pleas. "It'll even keep me out of more Quidditch related injuries! I can't very well catch a snitch when my shoulder is all off and skewed."

"Oh, hush up, darling. If you can take a bludger to the shoulder and still lunge for the snitch, you can very well take the pain of your shoulder popping back into its socket." Kristen chastised.

Kristen Swan was one of Charlie's oldest friends. They knew each other even before Hogwarts, from all the pureblood family parties they attended when they were young. They didn't really hit it off until they were sorted into the same house. She stood at five feet flat, has a mane of curly dark blonde hair, and the notable sea green eyes of the Swan Family. She's the personification of the quote "Though she be but tiny, she is fierce." She's a great friend to have, and a terrible enemy all the same.

"That's different! I was running on adrenaline. I didn't feel the pain. Much. Until now." As if to prove her point, she cried out in pain when Madame Pomfrey tightened the knot on the splint. The patient sent the healer an indignant glare.

Madge scoffed. "Don't be such a wuss, Charls."

Charlie met Madison Finley on the train to Hogwarts. Charlie was sitting alone in a compartment when Madge burst in and stomped to the seat across her and plopped down with an angry huff. Madge's red hair framed her heart-shaped face like a halo of fiery curls, her face scrunched up in a harsh scowl. Her bright blue eyes turned sharply to Charlie, whom in turn raised a questioning eyebrow cooly. Madge's expression softened considerably and she introduced herself to Charlie. And as they say, the rest was history. Five years later, Madge grew into quite a fine woman, albeit her temper was still very much in tact. Her pale skin and freckles that she once hated now completely flattered her. Frankly, she became one of Hogwarts' most desirable, with her tall frame, long legs, and unfairly proportionate, more-than-well-endowed curves.

Madame Pomfrey braced her hand on Charlie's shoulder, the other one holding her splinted arm. "Ladies, hold her down, I'm going to pop her shoulder back."

Her two friends obliged and Charlie squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain.

"Please don't head-butt me," Kristen said, making Charlie smile a little.

"Can't we use skele-gro?" Charlie tried once more, peaking an eye open to look at the healer. Madame Pomfrey gave her an exasperated look. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It'll just heal over the injury and leave me more asymmetrical than ever."

"That's very good, Miss Hart, you should be a healer."

"Well, I—MOTHERFUCKER!" Charlie yelled in pain and surprise as her shoulder popped back in its socket. She couldn't decide which hurt more, the shoulder or her broken arm. Tears escaped her eyes and she was almost dizzy from the pain. Her whole left upper torso felt like it was on fire. "Why the fuck would you fucking do that without a fucking warning? That fucking—"

"Drink." Madame Pomfrey practically forced the vial down her throat. Charlie had no choice but to drink.

"Ugh. That's nasty." Charlie gagged, greedily gulping down the glass of water that followed the medicine. The pain quickly began to subside and she let out a sigh of relief. "You're an angel, Madame Pomfrey."

The medi-witch rolled her eyes, handing Charlie two more potions to drink, to which she obediently drank. "Your arm should be fine in a few hours." She put the broken arm up in a sling. "You know the drill."

She grinned up at older woman. "Yeah, skele-gro makes you woozy. Stay in bed to avoid further injuries."

"Also known as the third year incident," Madge quipped, sniggering at her friend's expense.

Madame Pomfrey managed a small, fond smile. "Very good, pet. Holler if you need me. I'll be at my office. Miss Swan, Miss Finley, you should let your friend rest."

"Thanks, Madame P!" Charlie said. Madge and Kristen echoed her sentiments as the healer returned to her office. Kristen and Madge each took a seat at the foot of her bed.

"That was a really nice catch, by the way," Madge commended. She played as beater during their third year before quitting the next because the sport took up too much of her time, as if she were actually busy with any other school club. Kristen nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but try to actually dodge the bludger," Kristen, the only one in the trio who actually played for their house's quidditch since second year and stayed, suggested. "You should practice sloth grip rolls."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because I can use that for the next match."

Kristen shrugged innocently. "Well, you are a fantastic seeker. Perhaps even better than the one we have now."

"No, thanks." Charlie snorted. "I heard your new captain is a tyrant." She settled back on the bed. "You two should head off now. It's getting late and you two are the worst at sneaking around the castle after hours."

Madge scowled, offended. "We are not! It's that blasted cat! It has super senses! And you're no better than us!"

"I haven't been caught for a few months now," Charlie argued. "That's a new record."

"We'll be back tomorrow, okay?" Kristen said, patting Charlie's leg. "Feel better."

"Don't try to go to the kitchen in the middle of the night," Madge added teasingly. She handed Charlie a pack of cigarettes. "To keep you company if you wake up in the middle of the night."

"Thanks, babe." Charlie smiled at her friends and waved as they left the hospital wing. She smoked two sticks and entertained herself with the shadows cast by the moonlight outside before drifting off to sleep.

She jolted awake at the sound of the twin doors slamming open, hitting the wall with a loud crash. Frantic footsteps followed, along with hurried whispers.

"Madame Pomfrey!"

Was that Peter Pettigrew? Charlie wondered. He sounded more squeaky than usual. She heard a commotion a few beds down from her, and then the sound of the bed springs protesting against the weight of something plopping down heavily on them.

"What is all this racket about, Mister Pettigrew?" Came the healer's groggy but stern voice.

"It's Remus and Sirius, Madame!" Peter replied. Charlie could hear the panic and fear in her classmate's voice. The pair hurried past her bed and down to where she guessed Remus and Sirius where at. Charlie sat up slightly, trying to see past the curtains. She turned her gaze to the windows. It was dark but the sky was beginning to lighten. What could've possibly happened to Remus Lupin and Sirius Black?

"What happened?" the healer asked, her voice now more alert than before.

"Remus and Sirius had a bit of a row earlier." That was James Potter. She could almost hear him ruffling his messy hair. It was a habit of his. More prominent when he's nervous and scared, which was what he sounded right now. "I swear they made up, but I guess that row extended on into the night. Moony just got angry and…"

"Prongs, it's just a scratch," came Sirius Black's undeniable deep voice. He tried to reassure his best friend but it was obvious by the strain in his voice that he was in pain. It reminded her of how she sounded when she tried to reassure her friends that a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder didn't hurt as badly as it looked.

"I'll be the judge of that, Mister Black," said Madame Pomfrey. "Is Mister Lupin injured as well?"

"He's fine, just tired and a little scratched up. The usual." James said. Charlie's brows furrowed further in confusion. So Remus wasn't with them? "It wasn't a good night, though. He took it out on Padfoot."

The healer sighed. "You boys should stop this but I know you're not going to listen." She moved about, gathering the medical supplies she needed to treat Black.

By now, Charlie was utterly confused. Remus Lupin didn't seem like the type to cause serious injury to his friends. And what was that about last night not being a good night? She remembered the seeing the clear sky and the bright moon and thought that nothing about that was bad.

"You're lucky these scratches aren't deep, Mister Black." Madame Pomfrey said, pulling Charlie out of her thought process. "A few centimetres deeper and you'd be in trouble. You're also very lucky he didn't bite you."

There was a collective sigh of relief.

Bite? That was a very peculiar fighting tactic, especially with boys. Charlie was sure she'd have permanent wrinkles from how deep her frown was.

"I'm not affected? They're clean?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Mister Black, but they will take a while to heal, and you'll need stitches."

Bite? Affected? Clean? Bad night? Charlie's eyes widened as she slowly pieced it together. She remembered marvelling at the bright moonlight before she fell asleep. Was it a full moon that night?

"I also suggest that you lot don't piss Mister Lupin off when the full moon is near," Madame Pomfrey added, confirming Charlie's suspicions. She covered her mouth to stifle her surprised gasp. Remus Lupin was a werewolf. She just accidentally discovered one of her classmate's deepest, darkest secret. She heard footsteps approaching to where her bed was so she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She heard the three Marauders arguing in hissed whispers before drifting off into fitful slumber.

* * *

Charlie woke up with a start from the doors slamming open for the second time that day. They should put door stoppers on those damned doors. She groaned, turning on her uninjured side and burying herself further into her pillow.

"Oi, Swan! What brings you to this side of the castle?" Charlie froze as Sirius Black's voice echoed along the ward. "Can't stay away from me, can you?"

She heard Kristen's footsteps falter and backtrack. "Black? What the bloody hell happened to you?"

"S'nothin. Just a scratch," Black said off-handedly.

"Just a scratch, yeah?" Kristen snorted. Charlie could imagine her friend's narrowed eyes and suspicious expression as she walked closer to Black's bed. "That's awfully a lot of gauze for just a scratch,"

"Aw, you care," Black cooed. "Is that why you're here?"

Kristen scoffed. "I wasn't even aware you were hurt," she said. "Charlie's here. She got into an accident, stayed the night to regrow her broken arm,"

Charlie strained her ears for Sirius' reply. It came after a beat.

"Charlie Hart? She's here?" There was a slight suspicious tone in his voice that made her heart thud nervously.

"Yeah. Quidditch accident,"

"But Hart doesn't play?" came his confused reply.

"She's not on the team, but she plays." Charlie was sure Kristen just rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Anyway, I should wake her up. She'll want breakfast before double potions. Feel better, Black."

"Yeah, thanks, Swan."

Charlie closed her eyes when she heard Kristen approaching her bed. Her heart was still beating so hard against her chest and she could already feel the spindly feeling of anxiety prickling at her back and neck. Kristen opened the curtains with a dramatic swoosh.

"Oi! Up and at 'em, Hart!"

Charlie groaned and pretended to slowly wake up. She squinted up at Kristen. "What?"

"Time for class, darling."

Charlie made a face. "No." she said, pulling the covers over her head, simultaneously discovering that her arm was no longer broken but her shoulder still ached.

"Come on. Your arm's already healed." Kristen tugged the covers off her friend.

"Noooo!" Charlie whined, scowling.

Madame Pomfrey emerged from her office, leaving Charlie no choice but to sit up so the medi-witch can unwrap her arm. She gave Charlie another potion for her shoulder and advised to keep it in the sling for a few more days before kicking her out of the hospital wing.

Charlie dragged her feet as they passed the other beds. She kept her head down to avoid making eye contact with the other patient in the wing. Of course, curiosity got the best of her and she just had to look up. She wanted to see exactly how bad Black's injuries were. Her eyes widened when she met his eyes, his gaze curious and distrustful.

One look was all it took. Sirius knew she heard them last night. She offered him a polite smile before hurrying after Kristen, but not before seeing Sirius' distrustful gaze turn into a deadly glare.

She was in big trouble.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think.

I also edited Chapter 2 a little.

Byeeeeee


	2. Two

Hello, it's me.

Thanks to HappyTerrier and izzy Uchiha for the review and follow! Also, thanks to bethersalways, emmsluvsuall98, and lerandor for following the story!

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

 **EDIT: I added a few things here and there. Also fixed a few things I didn't like.**

DISCLAIMER: Still not JK Rowling.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: DAY ONE OF ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERING REMUS LUPIN'S SECRET**

Charlie chose to take a shower over eating breakfast. Kristen rolled her eyes but let her go anyway and promised to get her a cup of coffee and toast to get her through double potions.

The shower didn't help much, it only gave her more time to think back to the many times Lupin disappeared a few days every month. Kristen once told her that Lupin's mum frequently fell ill, now she knew that was clearly a lie. After obsessing over how apparent Lupin's condition was if anyone looked closely, she moved on to the many ways the Marauders will hunt her down for knowing their best mate's secret. From corridor ambushes to memory spells, she pretty much covered them all. Suffice to say, she emerged from the shower more bothered and paranoid than when she first got in. She got to the dungeons with only five minutes to spare before class started.

"Where's your sling?" Kristen demanded as Charlie devoured the toast and quickly drank the coffee. Despite Madame Pomfrey's strict instructions, Charlie opted to leave the sling on her bed and just drink a vial of pain potion from their medicine cabinet.

"I drank a potion for the pain," Charlie reasoned, sipping her coffee.

Kristen arched an eyebrow. "You're also wearing make-up,"

"Yeah, I didn't like the I-broke-my-arm-and-spent-the-night-at-the-hospital-wing look on me," she replied, shrugging. After staring at her reflection for five whole minutes and seeing how much her worry showed on her face, she decided to up her makeup game today, and then proceeded to slather foundation all over her face and dust blush on her cheeks. She even went all out and did a wing eyeliner.

"Are you on the pull?" Kristen narrowed her eyes skeptically.

Charlie almost choked on her coffee. "Yeah, absolutely. I bumped into Amos Diggory on my way up to the Tower and he smiled at me. I thought it was an obvious sign that he likes me so I made a little effort today."

"Har har."

"I'm serious! Have you ever been on the receiving end of his smiles? I almost swooned."

Kristen laughed, shoving Charlie playfully and making her crash into another person.

"Woah there, Hart." James Potter grinned, catching her by the shoulders. Her smile froze halfway on her lips.

"Sorry, Potter." She muttered, avoiding his eyes. She jerked a thumb towards Kristen, who was laughing at her expense. "Blame your chaser, she's the one pushing me around."

Luckily, Professor Slughorn opened the classroom doors open and let them in, saving Charlie from a surely tense conversation with James Potter. It seemed that Black hadn't had the chance to tell his friends yet about what happened. Of course he hadn't, he's still in the hospital wing. She'd worry about it tomorrow, when Black gets discharged. Today was the calm before the storm, she thought.

Madge dropped Potions that year so Charlie and Kristen met up with her at Charms next period. The redhead also noticed Charlie's appearance when she entered the classroom with Kristen.

"You look nice," she mused, eyebrows raised.

"Sound more surprised, why don't you? It does wonders to my self-esteem." Charlie drawled, plopping down beside her friend.

"Diggory smiled at her and she's lovestruck." Kristen explained mockingly, taking Madge's other side. "I think it's total bullshit."

Madge laughed. "If you wanted to catch Diggory's attention, go unbutton that one button on your shirt. You've got fabulous tits, love."

"Nah, I don't want to take attention away from yours," Charlie nodded at the significant amount of cleavage peeking out from Madge's shirt.

"If you have 'em, flaunt 'em," Madge shrugged, flipping her bright red hair over her shoulder.

Professor Flitwick picked up from last week's lesson, turning wine back to vinegar, since they already mastered turning vinegar to wine. The Charms professor provided each of them with a goblet of wine for them to practice the counter-curse on. Most would think that counter-curses are easy because it's basically just reversing what you did, but only half of the class has managed to do it. Kristen managed to do it last time. Madge and Charlie gave up halfway through the period and decided to just drink the wine, which lost them ten points when Flitwick noticed.

"He can't give sixth years wine and expect them not to drink it!" Madge cried indignantly, still sore about the ten points Flitwick docked. They were walking to the Great Hall for lunch and Madge's yelling was causing students to throw them peculiar looks. "And it was actually some good wine."

"I know!" Charlie agreed with a laugh. She was walking backwards to talk to her friends properly. "I wonder where he keeps his stash."

Kristen shook her head at her friends. "Why? Are you planning on nicking it? You think that'd earn you points?"

"No," Charlie snorted. "It would, however, be an exceptional addition to our booze stash." She argued, waggling her eyebrows playfully.

Kristen narrowed her eyes at them. "Fine," she relented after a moment. "Just don't get caught."

Madge scoffed. "As if we even needed your permission."

For the second time that day, Charlie bumped into someone, this time without the help of Kristen's shoves. She laughed when she saw who it was.

"I swear, Potter, I'm not doing this on purpose." All the nervousness she felt that morning went away after Double Potions and she found herself talking normally to the Marauder without stuttering. "Although I admit, it's my fault this time. Walking backwards is not a good idea when you're in a hallway full of people."

"She says that, but she'll be doing it again later." Madge added jokingly. "She might have drank too much pain potion,"

James still hadn't replied. He was looking at Charlie in deep thought, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"James?" Kristen called out worriedly. "Charlie didn't bump into you that hard, did she?"

That broke him out of his reverie. He shook his head and offered them a small smile.

"Yeah, no worries, Hart," he muttered before going in the Great Hall. They watched him walk away, bemused looks on their faces.

"Wonder what's got him like that," Kristen puzzled.

"Maybe Charlie did ram into him real hard. She's got thick bones and muscle," Madge quipped, sniggering.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed absently, following her friends to the Gryffindor table. Madge and Kristen filled their plates with food, chatting idly amongst themselves. Charlie thought about Potter's weird reaction. Did Black already tell him? He couldn't have. Potter was at her Charms class, he couldn't have found out from Black already. Class ended only five minutes ago and Potter couldn't have been to the Hospital Wing and then back to the Great Hall in that short amount of time even if he ran.

"Oi," Madge nudged her, breaking her thought process. "Did you catch what Potter has? You've got the same look on your face."

Charlie managed to roll her eyes at her friend. "Nah, I got lost in thought in between thinking if I wanted the Shepherd's pie or the salmon," she reasoned, filling her plate with roast potatoes instead. As she reached for the jug of pumpkin juice, she tried to catch a look at Potter. She almost dropped the jug when she found that he was already looking at her with that same strange expression on his face.

Air rushed out of her when she finally confirmed why he was looking at her like that. Somehow, in between the five minute walk from the Charms classroom to the Great Hall, Sirius Black managed to tell his best friend what she overheard last night. She looked away from him and poured herself a goblet of pumpkin juice. So much for worrying about it tomorrow. Maybe she'll steal Flitwick's wine tonight. She sure as hell needed it.

Lunch was a tense affair for Charlie. She tried her best to involve herself in her friends' conversations, but she couldn't help but steal glances down Potter's side every now and then. He caught her looking four times, she caught him even more.

All three of them had free period after lunch and they spent it at the courtyard talking about their Herbology class tomorrow. Kristen drew on her sketchpad while Madge and Charlie smoked.

If Charlie had any doubts about her suspicions, they were all but confirmed in her next class. It became apparent during Transfiguration that Black really have informed his friends about the situation. Pettigrew, who wasn't in their Charms and Potions class, sat beside Potter behind Charlie and her friends' usual spot. She held her breath when she passed by them and let out a defeated sigh when she sat in front of Potter. She almost wanted to rip her hair out when Kristen and Madge turned around to talk to the pair.

"Where's the other half of your posse?" Madge questioned, arching an eyebrow curiously.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Sirius is at the hospital wing," Kristen piped up. "I saw him when I came to pick Charlie up."

"Yeah, he got into a bit of an accident." Potter explained, shrugging nonchalantly. "Remus went home again to see his mum."

"She's sick again?" Madge frowned. "What does she have anyway?"

"She's just very sickly." Pettigrew chirped. "He'll be back on Friday, I reckon."

"Well, tell him we wish her a fast recovery." Kristen, ever polite, smiled sympathetically. "Must be hard for him, he's missed a lot of classes already."

Charlie thought it'd be suspicious if she didn't join the conversation so she added her two cents. "If he needs any help with notes, he can always come to Kristen. She's an avid note-taker. Even has diagrams and all," she teased, making the group laugh.

That's good, she thought. She didn't sound nervous at all. They even laughed at her quip. Maybe they're not angry? Or are they lulling her into a false sense of security before they ambush her and hit her with a memory charm? She pored over the numerous interrogation and torture tactics she could think of during class, resulting in her messing up the nonverbal spell they were learning more than once. The sensation of Potter and Pettigrew's eyes on her and their hushed conversation only added to her skittishness. Madge eventually had to take her wand away from her when she accidentally turned her teacup into dust instead of transfiguring it into a mirror.

By the end of her last class, which was Arithmancy that none of the Marauders but Remus took, Charlie was ready to drown her anxieties in firewhiskey. It was exactly what she did. She persuaded her friends to skip dinner at the Hall and just grab dinner from the kitchens so they can eat it with wine and firewhiskey at their dorm room.

"That wine really got me in a drinking mood, Kris," she reasoned when asked why she suddenly wanted to get drunk in the middle of a school week. She knew they'd catch on soon enough if this thing with the Marauders wasn't resolved, but for now they let it go.

They finished one bottle of wine and half a bottle of firewhiskey before retiring for the night. Charlie lay in her bed, thinking about how she can convince the Marauders to spare her life. Or at least let her keep her sanity. If this was how it would be every day, she'd better stock up on more liquor.

* * *

It ain't much but I hope you liked it! If you did, let me know. If you didn't, let me know too.

Byeee


	3. Three

AN: Hi! Sorry it took me so long to update.

 **For those who followed this story, I tweaked Chapter 1 and 2 a bit so you guys check that out before reading this.**

As for new readers, if there are any, thanks for taking time to read this.

DISCLAIMER: Not JK Rowling. She's a good writer and she's rich. Two things I'm not.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3:** **DAY TWO OF ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERING REMUS LUPIN'S SECRET**

Charlie woke up before dawn and her first thought of the day was 'Sirius Black will be out of the hospital wing today.' Then she proceeded to delude herself into thinking that perhaps his recovery will take longer. He did get himself almost mauled by a werewolf. Who also happened to be one of his best friends. Who was still absent from class and quite possibly unaware that his friends are plotting something nefarious to silence her. Admittedly she was being a tiny bit dramatic, but the Marauders were a dramatic lot. They rarely did anything without their theatrical flare.

By the time her roommates started to wake, she had already persuaded herself five times to fake a sickness, and then backed out just as many because that would be more suspicious to the Marauders. Also, the probability of them sneaking in her dorm and ambushing her while everyone was in class was too high. She knew the girls' dormitories were off-limits to boys but there was that panty raid incident last year that only the Marauders could've been responsible for. Lily Evans gave them an earful but they never confessed to anything. Kristen and Madge didn't care about a confession, they hexed the Marauders the first chance they got. So yes, the girls' dorm isn't safe if she wanted to hide from them. She decided it'd be best to stick to her friends' side.

She waited until the last minute to get up and get dressed, making sure there was only enough time to have a quick breakfast before class starts. Her efforts to avoid the Marauders can only go so far. After all, she couldn't very well avoid someone whom she shares most of her classes with.

"I heard we're handling venomous tentaculas today," Madge started. Professor Sprout was running late, which was weird considering the teacher practically lived in the greenhouses.

Charlie made a face. "Maybe one caught Sprout, that's why she's late." She stood on her tiptoes and tried to see what was happening inside the greenhouse through the dirty window. "Should we go check on her?"

"You want to willingly face a flesh-eating plant?" Kristen looked at Charlie in disbelief.

"To save a teacher!" Charlie defended. "I'm trying to be heroic."

"Well, your heroic deed will have to wait another day. Sprout's here," Madge said, nodding over to the teacher who emerged from the greenhouse beside theirs. The Hufflepuff house head apologized for the fifteen minute delay, she got caught up in transferring mandrakes into new pots.

"Damn, I was hoping classes will get cancelled," Charlie huffed, walking after her classmates and entering the greenhouse. She hobbled over to her partner, who was already waiting at their table.

"Venomous tentaculas today," Lily said, greeting her with a grimace. Charlie groaned.

"My favourite,"

Professor Sprout called the class to order and instructed them to go choose a tentacula to feed. The class groaned collectively and stayed put, refusing to voluntarily go near the carnivorous shrubbery. The Hufflepuff head of house sighed heavily and began assigning students to a plant. From across the greenhouse, James Potter jokingly shoved Peter Pettigrew towards their plant. Pettigrew, caught of guard, went barreling straight to the tentacula's awaiting mouth. Good thing Sirius Black caught his friend by the robes and prevented him from falling into a nasty fate. Charlie tried to not let her gaze linger for too long at Black. She grabbed Lily and dragged her to the plant the furthest from Black and his friends before Sprout could assign them to a tentacula. Death by venomous tentacula was added to her list of possible Marauder scare tactics.

Feeding the tentaculas was relatively easy, given that they stayed a good few feet from it and had their wands at the ready in case on of its limbs tried to rope them in. Lily and Charlie's tentacula had four heads which they took turns in feeding.

"Is it just me or is Black glaring at you?" Lily asked nonchalantly as she fed their venomous tentacula. Charlie froze in the middle of tossing a chizpurfle and whipped around to look at her partner. The plant, impatient and hungry, decided to take the food from Charlie's hand itself. The tentacula head ferociously lashed out at her. She leaped back at the last second and threw the chizpurfle at the venomous tentacula's open mouth, which would've latched onto her hand if it weren't for her reflexes. Annoyed, Charlie stunned the plant in retaliation.

"You shouldn't say things like that when we're around flesh-eating plants, Lily." Charlie chastised, turning to her partner again. For the whole period, she had been successfully ignoring Black's presence until Lily pointed it out.

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd freeze like that," she apologized. "So, what does Black have against you?"

Charlie scoffed, shooting Lily an incredulous look. "Nothing. I'm sure he's only glaring at empty space. No one likes to deal with flesh-eating plants first thing in the morning."

Lily raised an inquisitive eyebrow and glanced back at where Black sat. "His glare seems to be very pointed, if you ask me."

"It is?" Charlie braved a glance over her shoulder. True enough, Black was glaring quite impressively at her. His glare impossibly intensified when he saw her looking. She turned back to Lily and shrugged indifferently, ignoring how hard her heart was hammering against her chest. "Huh, he is glaring rather viciously at me. I wonder why,"

"You didn't do anything to him?" Her partner asked one more time.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Lily. Do I seem like the type to mess with that lot?"

"He looks really angry," Lily said, worried. Nothing good comes when a Marauder is angry. Before Charlie can say anything, the venomous tentacula regained consciousness and attacked them, losing two tentacles in the process when the pair quickly cast diffindo.

"I hate these plants." Lily muttered, stunning the tentacula once more. And that was the end of their Sirius Black conversation. The class ended without any other tentacula or Sirius Black related accidents. Professor Sprout was more than proud of her students when no one got fatally injured during the period.

"Tentaculas make good duel practice targets." Kristen said as they walked back to the tower. "I don't think I've ever seen Madge react so fast with a jinx when that blasted plant made for her."

"Ugh. If only healing school didn't require NEWT Herbology." Madge groaned, leaning against Kristen as they trudged back up the castle. "I hate shrubbery,"

Charlie watched the pair in amusement. Madge's tall form was practically draped over Kristen's small one. The latter didn't seem to mind the additional strain at all. "Maybe I should try healing school, too. I've got the right NEWTs for it."

Madge snorted, throwing Charlie a dubious look. "You? A healer? You're more of the patient, darling." She mocked.

"I resent that! I'll have you know, I have quite the knowledge on healing charms." Charlie resisted the urge to shove her friend. They were walking uphill and one playful shove might send the pair tumbling down the forest.

Kristen laughed. "We know. You use it most of the time to heal yourself."

"Regardless," she waved them off. "I can still be a healer."

"Yeah, if your parents hadn't married you off by next year." Madge added.

Charlie's expression soured. "I still think Kristen's gonna be first."

Kristen frowned. "I still think you're right." She agreed, chuckling humorlessly.

Madge smiled sympathetically at her two friends. "I can never be more thankful for my muggle mum." She gave Kristen a brief squeeze before straightening up.

"Why are we being thankful for mum?" Garret Finley, Madge's older brother, asked as he came up beside them. He was a seventh year Ravenclaw and was as equally attractive as his younger sister. He threw an arm around Charlie's shoulders and walked with them.

"Oh, we were just moaning about the atrocities of being a pureblood woman." Charlie supplied, grinning up at the seventh year.

Garret gasped dramatically. "The horror!"

Kristen snorted. "Indeed, Mister Finley,"

"Can we move on?" Charlie grumbled. "This talk about purebloods is dampening my mood."

"Not that there's much left to dampen." Madge pointed out. She fixed Charlie with a curious look. "What's up with you, anyway? You've been off since this morning."

Charlie waved her off nonchalantly. "Mornings don't agree with me, love. You know that."

"Au contraire, I find that mornings are quite agreeable." Garret interjected. He poked Charlie's cheek playfully. "You're the only one who's not."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Have you come to get your arse hexed, Finley?"

"Case in point." He laughed, shaking his head. "I don't know why you hang out with these uppity stuck up lot, sis."

Mads nodded forlornly. "I ask myself that everyday,"

Garret walked them all the way to their next class. "All right, I'm late. See you at dinner!" He said before sprinting down the hallway to get to his class on time.

Surprisingly, the rest of the day went off without a hitch. Sirius Black glared at her whenever he had the chance but other than that, everything went fine. She was an anxious and paranoid mess the whole time so she decided to take a leisurely stroll around the castle after dinner.

Charlie was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower when she heard, before she saw James, Peter, and Sirius coming her way. She panicked and ducked behind a tapestry which she discovered hid a hallway. Despite not knowing where it led, she walked on. Actually, she sprinted and turned at the next corner. That's how she found herself wandering lost somewhere in the castle way past curfew. She's been walking for almost an hour and was becoming terribly grumpy. She didn't even care if a prefect found her and gave her detention for staying out after hours. She just wanted someone to tell her how to get back to the tower. It felt foolish running away from three-fourths of the Marauders and ending up lost. When she heard footsteps, she all but ran to the source of the sound. It didn't matter if it was a prefect or the Marauders themselves, but she still hoped it was the former.

"You have got to be kidding me." Charlie huffed, her smile falling off her face when she saw her rescuer. Her heart thudded against her chest as she stared at her schoolmate. She was truly fucked now. "I thought you won't be back until next week?"

"Hart?" Remus Lupin, looking tired but oddly refreshed, stood in the middle of the hallway. "What's got you wandering around the East Wing at this time of night?"

"This is the East Wing? I've never been." She said, looking around the hall and subtly looking for his fellow marauders. If Lupin was back, that meant his friends had had the chance to tell him of Charlie's newly found, albeit accidental, information. She tried to play it cool as she subtly slid her hand in her pocket, taking ahold of her wand. "I haven't seen a staircase in an hour. Is the East Wing really this huge?"

Remus pursed his lips, eyeing her wryly. "You're lost, aren't you?" His hazel eyes glowed with amusement and Charlie found herself chuckling. She knew she should be wary, but there was something about Remus Lupin that exuded calmness.

"Yep." She beamed proudly. Maybe his friends didn't tell him? "Mind being my guide?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Only two weeks into the first term and I've already caught you outside after hours? I think that's a record." He beckoned her over as he turned to his heel and started walking to what she hoped was the way back to the Gryffindor Tower and not towards some elaborate Marauder trap.

"It's not even on purpose!" She cried defensively, jogging after him. She pouted pitifully. "Wandering around for an hour is not fun at all,"

"That's why I'm letting you off tonight," He told her as-a-matter-of-factly. "And an hour? Really? Are you sure you weren't walking around in circles?"

"It's possible." She shrugged, looking up at her classmate. She noticed the faint scars on his face, all the way down his neck and frowned. "How's your mum?"

"She's getting better," Remus lied easily. She nodded in understanding. So he was still keeping up the farce he and his friends created. Maybe Black and Potter still hasn't gotten to see him, she thought as she relaxed her hold on her wand a little.

"I hope she gets back to full health. I can see the effect it has on you."

Remus smiled tiredly. "Yeah, I hope so, too."

"Hogwarts should seriously have signs." Charlie observed the unfamiliar paintings adorning the walls. "How many students do you find lost after curfew?"

"Believe it or not, it's just you and a few firsties." Remus teased. "How'd you get yourself lost anyway?"

"I discovered a hallway behind a tapestry and decided to see where it led to."

He snorted and gave her an amused look. "So you were out trying to look for hidden hallways?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I was on my way back to the Tower and then I felt this sudden urge to duck behind this dusty tapestry,"

"You weren't hiding from anyone, were you?" He raised an eyebrow shrewdly.

She felt like a bucket of ice cold water was poured over her head. "Why would you think that?" She asked, her voice an octave higher. Her eyes darted around the hallway, looking for any tell-tale signs of the rest of the marauders. So maybe Remus _was_ trying to lure her into a trap.

He shrugged. "Because people don't usually have sudden urges to duck behind a tapestry unprovoked."

"They don't?" She asked innocently. "They must live boring lives."

He chuckled. "At least they don't get lost somewhere in the East Wing." He nudged her playfully. They turned at a corner and finally reached somewhere Charlie recognized.

"Finally somewhere familiar!" She draped herself over the staircase dramatically. "Have you seen your friends, or did you go straight to prefect duty?" She asked the question that's been on the tip of her tongue since she saw him. She eyed him closely to gauge his reaction.

"They weren't at the dorm when I got back," He shrugged flippantly. She breathed a sigh of relief which he thankfully didn't notice. "I reckon we'll bump into them somewhere on the way back to the tower."

She stiffened. "Then you'd have to give them detentions for being out after curfew?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. They'll stay out of our way."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "How will they do that?"

"They have their ways, believe me." He sent her a mischievous wink. "Anyway, I have to finish my rounds, do you think you can manage your way from here?"

Charlie looked around their surroundings. "Yeah, I think I've explored everything that's behind the tapestries from here."

"All right, I'll take my leave." He said, stepping away from her.

"Thanks, Remus. I'd be _lost_ without you," She joked, waggling her eyebrows comically.

Remus laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah," He waved her off before going back the way they came. Charlie watched until he disappeared around a corner before speed-walking back to the dorms.

"Where were you?" Mads asked, spotting Charlie walk through the portrait hole. Charlie walked over to Mads and Kristen who were working by the fire. She fell on the couch with a sigh.

"I got lost." She admitted bashfully, making her friends laugh.

Kristen balled up a piece of parchment and aimed it at Charlie's head. "How'd you get back?"

Charlie caught the paper ball triumphantly, before throwing it back at Kristen who dodged it. "Remus found me. Did you know that the East Wing was so huge? I was wandering for an hour!" she whined, floundering on the couch like a fish.

"We thought you finally got lucky with Diggory." Mads said, smirking.

Charlie sighed. "That would have been more fun," She peered at what her friends were writing. "What's that?"

"Transfiguration essay," Kristen replied. "You done yours?"

"But that's not due until next week?"

"Yeah, but McGonagall required two feet minimum." Kristen said. She gave Charlie a spare quill and a piece of parchment. "Here, be a good student for once."

Charlie huffed petulantly but took the writing materials anyway. The three friends wrote their essays until midnight and for the whole time, Charlie didn't even think once about Remus Lupin and his overprotective friends. She was so tired to even obsess about the day and fell asleep the moment her head hit her pillow.

* * *

Yeah, it's weird. I know. But yay, we got some Remus interaction!

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think. Please.


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